| |  | | CIA Stock Photo | Jeff Burton won the Food City 500 at Bristol on Sunday. | | | | 1-2-3 | Jeff Burton breaks free, leads Childress sweep at Bristol | |
| | By Gary Graves / USA TODAY BRISTOL, TN -- That Bristol Motor Speedway isn't exactly a giving track is why Jeff Burton was such an eager taker of any opportunity during Sunday's Food City 500.
On firm traction with fresh tires taken during the next-to-last caution, Burton's No. 31 Chevrolet had all the grip it needed to blow by Denny Hamlin's Toyota during a green-white-checkered flag finish and lead Richard Childress Racing's top-three sweep, a first for the 39-year-old NASCAR team.
Those two laps were the only ones Burton led all day, a somewhat ironic payback for a driver who finished ninth here nearly 19 months ago despite leading 263 laps.
At the same time, Burton's last five starts included two runner-up finishes, so a breakthrough wasn't farfetched. And perhaps because he didn't punt Kyle Busch from the lead last March when he could have, he and RCR earned a reward that seemed destined for Hamlin and his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates.
"We've run really well here and put ourselves in position several times," said Burton, who started eighth. "A lot of people questioned my move last year in not taking out Kyle to win the race, and I still believe I did the right thing. That's who I am and I'm not going to change and those things come back to you.
"Mark Martin told me years ago that if you give, you'll get more back than you ever have to give. And that's what happened. I could've had a trophy in my case last year by knocking Kyle out of the way, but I chose not to do that and Richard and (crew chief) Scott (Miller) had to live with my decision. But those things have a way of coming back, and I kind of feel like that's what happened (Sunday)."
The finish wasn't the only thing coming back to the 40-year-old on the high-banked, half-mile track.
On lap 375 Jimmie Johnson slowed to avoid Robby Gordon's lapped car and spun, making contact with Burton.
Neither was seriously affected as they pitted, with Johnson gaining two spots and Burton remaining in the top five after some adjustments.
"We did the little things right," Burton said.
Miller helped create that final opportunity by having Burton pit for tires during the caution on lap 491, as did teammates Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer, who finished second and third.
At the time, Harvick's move was considered curious because he was running second to Tony Stewart, who stayed out; but he and several other contenders thought having fresh tires was worth it for a few laps.
Miller's simple goal? Keeping Burton from losing track position.
"The thing that made it an easy call for me was the fact we were not going to win had we stayed out there," Miller said.
"Our only chance of making anything happen or having at least some potential to win the race was to have four tires and let the chips fall where they may."
It turned out to be the right call across the board for RCR as Harvick stalked Stewart after the restart before getting inside his Toyota and inadvertently spinning it out of the lead on lap 498 to bring the final caution.
Burton was gaining in the meantime and soon passed Harvick for second during the shuffle, leaving only Hamlin to chase down.
Stewart had led the race six times for 267 laps and Hamlin was in the lead for 98 laps before falling behind on the final restart.
A perfect restart on lap 504 shot Burton past the struggling Hamlin, who complained of a fuel issue, with Harvick and Bowyer in tow.
Though he has had his moments on Bristol's old surface, he said last year's repaving provided the grip and the groove for his late surge.
Burton's Impala SS car was pretty strong, too. According to NASCAR's box score, he spent 505 of 506 laps in the top 15 and posted 18 of the fastest laps, numbers that usually end in good news.
And in Burton's case, something to show for it.
"I can assure you, there are as many times we looked back and said, 'Golly, we should have won that and didn't,' " Burton said. "I won't lose sleep because somebody said, 'We had a faster car.' All I know is we got the trophy. That's what we came here to do. We did what it took to get it."
| | Posted March 17, 2008 , 12:55 am EST
Last Updated March 17, 2008 , 12:14 pm EST | | | | | | |
